Former leader clings to life

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak lays on a gurney inside a barred cage in the police academy courthouse in Cairo (AP)

Deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was reportedly in a coma last night after he was rushed to a south Cairo military hospital following a stroke.

Mubarak, pictured inset, who earlier this month was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the killing of protesters during the uprisings last year, was initially said to have been on a life support machine but this is no longer the case, officials said. Contradictory reports about Mubarak's condition emerged early yesterday, with the state news agency claiming the 84-year-old was "clinically dead" after being transferred from his Cairo prison hospital. The health scare comes at a pivotal moment for Egypt, with the result of last week's presidential run-off due today.